ASA Hires Ryan Findlay as CEO

Jamie Johansen

The American Soybean Association have selected Ryan Findlay as its new Chief Executive Officer. Findlay replaces Stephen Censky, who left ASA in October of 2017 after confirmation by the U.S. Senate as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.

“ASA is extremely pleased to have found someone of Ryan’s caliber and experience to lead us into our next chapter as a first-class U.S. commodity organization,” said ASA President John Heisdorffer, a soybean producer from Keota, Iowa. “Ryan’s background growing up on a farm and working for the Michigan Farm Bureau and for Syngenta give him the right combination of life and work experience that will serve ASA well in the coming years,” Heisdorffer stated.

Findlay is a native of Caro, Mich., where his family still farms row crops. The last four years Ryan worked for the global agricultural company Syngenta, focusing on freedom-to-operate issues impacting farmers. His seven-year tenure with the Michigan Farm Bureau included work on two farm bills, international trade, climate change and regulatory issues. Ryan, his wife Gretchen, and their two children will be relocating to the St. Louis area, where he will work out of ASA’s headquarters office.

“I am honored to be selected to lead a premier policy organization that I have worked with and admired for years,” Findlay said. “I look forward to building on Steve Censky’s strong legacy as ASA and its state affiliates continue to lead the public debate on key policy issues including farm risk management, international trade and rural infrastructure.”

Ag Groups, AgWired Precision, ASA, Soybean

John Deere Collaborates with Dealers and Developers

Carrie Muehling

Precision agriculture is giving farmers more and more tools to use in their operations, but it continues to be complex. That’s one reason the company has offered the Develop with Deere Conference to allow farmers, dealers and developers an opportunity to collaborate, said Deanna Kovar, director of production and precision ag marketing with John Deere.

“It’s not just about John Deere equipment and technology. It’s about the support our dealers provide to farmers all across the U.S. and Canada to help them select the right tool for their farm,” said Kovar. “We believe that it’s really important for our dealers to understand all of the options that are out there, and really create that solution to make the Gen 4 display that’s in a lot of tractors, combines and sprayers today as well as a universal option, plus the John Deere Operations Center, work for every farm and how they farm.”

She said the conference is a great example of John Deere understanding that farmers don’t farm alone, and that the company cannot provide all the tools they need to make decisions on the farm. More than 240 dealers attended this year’s conference.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Deanna here: Interview with Deanna Kovar

You can find conference photos here: 2018 Develop with Deere Conference Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, John Deere, Precision Agriculture

Precision Ag Meets Customized Crop Insurance

Cindy Zimmerman

PartnerRe Ltd and Farmers Edge™ have joined forces to couple real-time field data with customized insurance products to help farmers around the globe.

This exclusive, four-year agreement between Farmers Edge and PartnerRe brings together precision farming technology and agriculture insurance in a landmark deal that will fundamentally advance the $5 trillion global food and agriculture industry. Under the terms of the agreement, PartnerRe and Farmers Edge will jointly develop new agriculture insurance products in main crop growing areas worldwide, aimed at addressing the specific needs and challenges of farmers.

Farmers Edge president and CEO Wade Barnes says this groundbreaking agreement will help farmers have more insurance options based on more accurate data while simultaneously opening up new financing options. “Through this partnership, Farmers Edge is making digital agronomy a reality and empowering farmers all over the globe with data-driven insights so they can maximize crop yields, make better decisions and secure tailor made insurance solutions that make sense for their market,” said Barnes.

In this interview, Barnes discusses the potential impact of the agreement, and how it could farmers in both developing countries and here at home. Audio Interview with Farmers Edge President and CEO Wade Barnes

AgWired Precision, Audio, Crop Insurance, Precision Agriculture

ICYMI: Water for Food International Forum

Cindy Zimmerman

The Water for Food International Forum, produced by the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska and The World Bank, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development, was held January 29 – 30, 2018 at The World Bank in Washington DC.

The theme was Farmer-Led Irrigated Agriculture: Seeds of Opportunity and the event attracted over 200 participants from around the globe, including government ministers, members of congress, CEOs, social entrepreneurs, researchers, multilateral leaders and smallholder farmers. The forum focused on improving water and food security for smallholder farmers in developing countries through sustainable irrigated agriculture.

Speakers at the event included former Senator and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), University of Nebraska president Hank Bounds, World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva, World Food Programme Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, and many others.

In case you missed it, here are some links for you:
Water for Food AgWired posts
#Water4Food Virtual Newsroom
2018 Water for Food Forum Photos
Water for Food Forum Program
Water for Food International Forum Videos

Farming, Food, International, Irrigation, Water, Water for Food

Tune in for State of Ethanol Industry Address

Cindy Zimmerman

The annual “State of the Ethanol Industry” address by Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen is coming up this morning at 8:15 am central time live from the 23rd National Ethanol Conference in San Antonio, Texas. The live feed will be on the AgWired Facebook page.

We have been doing a live video stream of this address since 2007, but it is much easier these days with Facebook Live! For a walk down memory lane, you can check out all of the RFA NEC photo albums since 2007.

You can expect the “Reverend of Renewable Fuels” to have an especially passionate sermon this year, particularly targeted at the Lone Star State’s Senator Ted Cruz, who has been holding up the nomination of Bill Northey for USDA to force changes in the Renewable Fuel Standard. Yesterday, Dinneen penned a scathing op-ed for the San Antonio newspaper calling out Sen. Cruz for “scapegoating” the RFS.

Get a preview here and tune in for the main event at 8:15 am: NEC Preview with RFA CEO Bob Dinneen

2018 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

2017 Deer Hunt – John Deere Gator – Episode 3

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello and welcome to episode number three of a series of videos and posts I’ve been doing from the Crystal Pig Hunt Club (CPHC) 2017 Georgia deer hunting season. The season is over but I’ve got plenty of venison in the freezer. No monster rack this year. Our last hunt was just before the season ended in January.

My brother Paul and I got a chance to hunt the final weekend of the season in January and took some time before leaving camp to talk about using a John Deere Gator on the hunt.

You can see photos of the Gator in the wild here: 2017 Deer Hunt – John Deere Gator Photo Album


Hunting, John Deere, Video

Ag Policy Update: Farm Bill, Budget Deals & Trade

Jamie Johansen

The Missouri Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Conference took place over the weekend. I was able to attend with my husband and had great intentions to not ‘work.’ But when I heard topics being discussed that are timely and others might learn from, I couldn’t help but pull out my recorder and gather some content.

Missouri Farm Bureau’s Director of National Legislative Programs, Spencer Tuma, spoke to attendees during breakout sessions providing policy updates on topics like the farm bill, infrastructure, rural broadband and trade.

If you were sleeping last Thursday night, you may not have realized a government shutdown occurred. But Spencer shares how that shutdown impacted two key commodity groups.

“What that budget agreement does is fund our government until March 23rd through a continuing resolution, but it also had some really cool agricultural provisions including fixes to the current cotton and dairy program. Cotton was not eligible for the traditional commodity programs ARC and PLC. It has the STAX Program, which was plagued with low adoption rates. The current farm bill provisions for dairy, the Margin Protection Program, needed some serious work to be more effective for our farmers and ranchers,” said Tuma.

Even though this budget agreement will only last a short time, it did make those changes to the cotton and dairy programs permanent. “By addressing these through the budget process, it actually frees up some funding baseline in the upcoming farm bill to address some of the other commodity issues,” she added.

Listen to our complete conversation to learn more about the President’s incoming budget’s impact on infrastructure and rural broadband and how changes to trade agreement KORUS could impact U.S. agriculture. Interview with Spencer Tuma, Missouri Farm Bureau

AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Farm Bill, Trade

The Crystalyx BioBarrel Focuses on Environment

Jamie Johansen

The Crystalyx BioBarrel was on display in the Alltech booth during the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show. This unique barrel allows for optimal mineral intake and is environmentally friendly.

“Crystalyx products are unique because they are a low moisture block. They are a dehydrated molasses product which is continuously looking for moisture to soften. Cattle consume by licking. They can’t bite or chew it. This ensures intake is regulated,” said Dan Dhuyvetter, Ridley Block a division of Alltech.

Wheat straw, soy flour and a small amount of wood fibers make up the content of the biobarrel. The container will degrade over time yet still withstand precipitation.

Dan said as attendees see the biobarrel in the booth it strikes up great conversation and gets them wanting to learn more. If you are also interested in learning more listen here: Interview with Dan Dhuyvetter Ridley Block Operations

2018 Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show Photo Album

Agribusiness, AgWired Animal, Alltech, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

ICYMI: National Biodiesel Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Biodiesel Conference & Expo was held at the Fort Worth Convention Center January 22-24. The event included a vehicle showcase and ride-and-drive opportunity alongside demonstrations and presentations on the latest in the industry. This conference also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the National Biodiesel Board.

Among the highlights was an award to USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky for his work in helping develop the biodiesel industry during his years as CEO of the American Soybean Association. Other highlights – a panel with the makers of the Discovery Channel’s Hot Grease documentary about the biodiesel industry, a petroleum industry leaders panel, and the biodiesel vehicle showcase featuring the latest from Ford, John Deere, General Motors, Caterpillar, and Optimus – with a semi that served as the stage back screen.

In case you were not able to attend, here are some resources:

The Biodiesel Conference Blog
2018 National Biodiesel Conference Photos
2018 Biodiesel Conference Virtual Newsroom

Biodiesel, John Deere, National Biodiesel Conference, Tractor, transportation

NCBA Names 2018 Beef Quality Assurance Award Winners

Carrie Muehling

2018 BQA Feedyard Award Winner – BLAC-X Farms

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association recognized winners of the 2018 Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) awards at the recent Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix.

BQA Feedyard Award winner Peter Bakken of BLAC-X Farms, Inc. in Rock County, Minn., said the components of the program, which include low stress animal handling, pharmaceutical use, record keeping and feed management help to set important standards for the industry.

“It’s a standard set of practices that feedyards, whether they’re in Rock County, Minn. or in Little Rock, Ark., can follow the same set of animal raising and care practices so that at the end of the day the steak that’s on the plate or in the meat counter, the consuming public can have confidence that’s in been raised by a standard set of practices that everybody is following, not just us,” said Bakken.

2018 BQA Educator of the Year – Dr. Ron Gill, Texas A&M University

BQA Educator of the Year Dr. Ron Gill said reducing stress is a key component of the program.

“The main thing we’re talking about through livestock handling and stockmanship is to reduce stress on the cattle and the people that are handling them,” said Gill. “If we can reduce stress, we can cut down on sickness rates in those cattle, which allows us to use less antibiotics to treat respiratory disease and other illness. Everything starts kind of rolling together if we can keep stress down.”

Gill said the program offers a self-assessment tool for producers and encouraged more operators to use those tools to evaluate what they are currently doing and to see where they might make improvements.
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Ag Groups, AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Beef, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA